


The Space Between a Rock and a Hard Place

by Night_Writer



Category: Wiedźmin | The Witcher (Video Game), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types, Wiedźmin | The Witcher Series - Andrzej Sapkowski
Genre: F/M, Family Fluff, Inspired by Music, Modern AU, Of course Kelpie is the dog's name
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-07
Updated: 2020-08-07
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:21:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,602
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25769614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Night_Writer/pseuds/Night_Writer
Summary: Modern AU inspired by the song in the title."The Space Between a Rock and a Hard Place" by 5 Seconds of SummerI hope you enjoy!
Relationships: Calanthe Fiona Riannon & Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon, Calanthe Fiona Riannon/Eist Tuirseach, Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon & Eist Tuirseach
Comments: 4
Kudos: 8





	The Space Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Eist climbed out of bed, stretching for a moment before padding into the bathroom and stepping into the shower, cleaning the previous day from his taught skin. He stood under the water and compiled a list of chores that he planned to do while Calanthe was working, including picking Ciri up from school and cleaning around the house. He stepped out of the shower and pulled on a clean pair of boxers, followed by some old blue jeans and a faded black t-shirt that hugged his toned biceps just right.

First task: Laundry.

He walked down into the basement and pulled the clean clothes from the dryer, folding them into neat piles as he went. Ciri’s clothes to his left, Cal’s clothes to his right. He wiggled his brows for a moment when he found a thong of Cal’s among the clean clothes, his mind momentarily drifting to watching her slip out of it the night before as she sauntered over to bed. He took a breath, calming his racing heart and he placed the garment on the pile of her pants and shorts. Placing the clean clothes into the empty hamper to carry back upstairs, he took the wet clothes from the washer and tossed them into the dryer, starting the timer before gathering the clean clothes and taking them upstairs. He brought Ciri’s clothes to her room and placed them neatly on her bed, stopping for just a moment to gently scratch Kelpie’s ear. The lab wagged her tail happily before curling back up at the foot of Ciri’s bed. Eist then gathered the basket back up in his arms and carried it down the hall to their bedroom, quickly putting their clothes away before promptly making his way back down to the first floor.

“Kelpie! Come on girl, outside!” He called, waiting for the tell-tale sign of a rampaging lab barreling down the stairs. As soon as he caught sight of the sixty-pound lab, he slid the back door open and watched her run down the patio steps into the grass below, chasing a rabbit that had wandered into the yard. “Hey! No, don’t chase the rabbit!” Eist hollered, clapping his hands to get her attention. “Kelpie! Do your business!” With Kelpie outside, he stepped into the kitchen and gazed down at the next chore.

Second task: Dishes.

He’d nearly forgotten just how much his granddaughter liked to snack. With a laugh and a shake of his head, he got to work loading up the dishwasher and putting the clean dishes back in the cabinets and drawers. He started the next load before wiping down the counters and spraying out the sink, swaying a bit on his feet as he hummed a song to himself. He was broken from his reverie when Kelpie came up to the door and pawed at the glass. He slid the door open and allowed her back in, scratching behind her ear as he walked over to the counter and pulled a treat from the jar.

“Sit.” He instructed, watching her for a moment before she plopped down on her haunches. “Good girl!”

He tossed the treat to her, smiling as she caught it with a crunch, chewing happily as her tail wagged across the hardwood floor. Once finished with her treat, Kelpie trotted back up the stairs towards Ciri’s room. Eist smiled as he finished with the dishes, spraying out the sink once more as he tidied the area around it. He unloaded the second batch of dishes from the washer and put them away in the cupboards, then dried his hands on the towel that hung from the oven door. He peered over at the clock.

“Almost time to get my kiddo.” He mused, walking over to the bottom of the stairs. “Kelpie! Ride?” He called, listening for the lab as she thundered from Ciri’s room to the top of the stairs, her tail wagging furiously as she sped down the stairs to him, looking up   
at him expectantly as he grabbed her leash from the banister and clipped it to her collar and lead her out the door, grabbing his keys before locking the door behind them. He unlocked his trusty Crown Victoria, ushering Kelpie into the back seat before plopping into the driver’s seat and starting the engine. He pulled out of the driveway and rolled down the back window for Kelpie, turning the radio up just enough to hear over the gusts of wind. For a Friday, he was surprised by the lack of traffic, but he counted his blessings and pulled into the parking lot at Ciri’s middle school, popped the car into park, and waited with Kelpie for the school bell to ring.

He scrolled through his phone, sending Cal a few texts saying that he was waiting for Ciri at the school, that the dishes were done, and that he would see her when she got home. She replied with a quick photo that he would keep for… later… use. He cleared his throat as the school bell rang, releasing students for the weekend ahead. He rolled down the other back window so Kelpie could watch for her favorite girl. He smiled as he saw her approaching the car, her ashen hair pulled back into a ponytail, backpack slung over one shoulder, as she ran towards the car. She tossed her bag in the trunk and cuddled Kelpie through the open back window before climbing into the passenger seat and buckling herself in.

“Hey there half-pint.” Eist chuckled, leaning over to kiss her head as she settled in for the ride, a smile plastered on her face. “How was school?” He questioned, shifting the car into drive before rolling away from the curb and to the light leading out to the main road.

“It was good! I had fun today!”

“Oh? What did you guys do today?”

“We had ice cream after lunch, we had a spelling test that I got an A on, we learned about dissection in science class, Miss Merigold is teaching us about CPR, and Miss Papebrock let us have silent reading for the last half-hour of class!”

“Wow!” Eist declared, turning onto the road towards the house, “it sounds like you had a really good day at school!”

Ciri beamed up at him before turning her attention back out to the trees as they passed them by. Eist smiled at her, reaching over to pat her head affectionately before pulling back into the driveway and shutting the car off. Ciri hopped out of the car and gathered her bag from the trunk before opening the door for Kelpie to jump out beside her, following her up to the front door as Eist came up behind them. He unlocked the door and let the girls in before shutting it behind him.

“You ready for dinner, kiddo?” He asked, making his way towards the kitchen to gather the pan he had set aside earlier for chicken parmigiana. At Ciri’s quick response of ‘yes’, he set about gathering the ingredients and chicken, breading, frying, covering it in tomato sauce and thick slices of mozzarella, then popping the pan into the oven to finish with a soft bake.

While waiting for the chicken to finish cooking, he set about vacuuming the living room, letting the stereo play in the background. Currently it was playing 5 Seconds of Summer, and he sang along with the radio. So caught up in the song, he didn’t notice when the front door opened and Cal walked in, shutting the door behind her and turning to face him with a smirk on her lips. She watched her husband dance around with the vacuum, his voice echoing the words to the song as the smell of chicken filled the house. At that moment, Eist turned and caught his wife smirking at him, her arms folded across her chest as her eyes focused on his. He walked over to her and pulled her to his chest, dancing with her in the living room as he sang the words to her, twirling her and dipping her along to the lyrics, earning a smile and laughter from his usually stoic wife.

Ciri sat at the top of the stairs with Kelpie at her side, a smile on her lips as she watched her grandparents dance about the living room without a care in the world. She had to admit that her grandfather was pretty smooth as he took her grandmother in his arms, spinning around the living room in time with the music. She couldn’t help the smile on her face as she slowly ran her fingers through Kelpie’s fur, reaching up to scratch behind the pup’s ears. She continued to watch them until the song ended with her grandfather dipping her grandmother, then taking her lips in a tender kiss. Ciri fake gagged at the scene before her, bringing their attention to her as they broke out in fits of laughter.

“Alright there, half-pint, wash up for dinner then come down and join us.” Eist chuckled, pulling Calanthe back up to her feet as Ciri scampered off to the bathroom. Eist turned his attention back to Cal and leaned into her ear. “And I’ll have you know that I intend to see more than what that picture showed me after kiddo is in bed.” He whispered, kissing her neck as she shivered in his arms.

“You always will, dear.” She purred, walking with him into the kitchen to finish dinner before Ciri padded downstairs to join them. It was good to be home.


End file.
